NBA Player News

During Lakers media day, Wood said he believed he has two more weeks of rehab and a two-week ramp-up process before he can play. While optimistic, this timeline does not align with the reports after his September knee surgery. At the time, it was stated that Wood would be re-evaluated in eight weeks, meaning he wouldn’t be ready for the start of the regular season. With this being the second procedure on Wood’s knee in the last calendar year, the Lakers exercising caution would be unsurprising. With Jarred Vanderbilt (feet) also sidelined, Jaxson Hayes should have opportunities during the preseason to earn rotation minutes.

Allen was available for Game 1 after being on the injury report with a hamstring, but got a DNP-CD. Jordan Goodwin (calf) left the game and didn’t return, which could open a starting spot for Game 2. It’s just difficult to gauge how much Allen might be considered for that spot after his bizarre lack of any minutes at all in Game 1.

Goodwin left Sunday’s Game 1 loss to the Thunder after five minutes with a sore left calf and didn’t return. Royce O’Neale started the third quarter in his place and finished with four points in 23 minutes. O’Neale could be looking at a spot start if Goodwin is ruled out for Game 2. Grayson Allen could also be an option, though he got a DNP-CD in Game 2 as he was available despite a hamstring injury.

Williams missed Sunday’s Game 1 loss to the Thunder with a sore left foot. Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach combined for zero points in 41 minutes in Williams’ absence. The 24-year-old center remains questionable for Game 2. Ighodaro will likely start again if Williams is ruled out.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA with 175 total clutch points and 6.5 points per game in clutch time, defined as games within five points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, according to a release from NBA PR. He also made a league-leading 16 go-ahead field goals in clutch time. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the regular season as the overwhelming favorite to repeat as Most Valuable Player. He had 25 points in Sunday’s Game 1 victory over the Suns with Game 2 on Wednesday.

Harper was initially listed as probable for Game 2, so his availability isn’t a surprise. The 26-year-old shooting guard only played the last four minutes of Game 1 due to a lopsided Celtics win. Despite his availability, Harper doesn’t figure to be much of a factor in this series.

Isaac was questionable for Game 1 before being ruled out. The 28-year-old power forward hasn’t played in over a month due to a sprained left knee. Now doubtful for Game 2, Isaac is unlikely to play at all in this series.

Chicago wanted to retain Donovan, but after “extensive meetings with team ownership”, Donovan opted to depart. The Bulls will need to fill a lot of holes in their staff this offseason after they fired executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley earlier this month. Donovan went 226-256 as the head coach of Chicago for six seasons, which included one playoff appearance. He’ll likely have interest from other NBA teams, though he won multiple NCAA championships with Florida before making the leap to the pros and could certainly return to the college ranks.

After scoring 12 points in Denver’s Game 1 victory on Saturday, Braun was more productive in Game 2. However, one of the main talking points from Monday’s defeat will be his missed free throw with the Nuggets trailing by two with 19 seconds remaining. Braun would hit the second to pull Denver to within one, but having to foul allowed Minnesota to extend his lead to three. Also, he’s one of the players the Nuggets will need to step up defensively, as they struggled on that end of the floor for most of the regular season and for parts of Game 2.

Jokić finished Game 2 two assists shy of a triple-double, but Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert once again did a solid job of defending the three-time league MVP. For the second consecutive game, Jokić committed five turnovers, and he shot 40 percent from the field. While Jokić did get his numbers, the Nuggets’ margin for error is slim given their defensive issues, especially with Peyton Watson still out due to injury. Denver will look to retake the series lead when they visit Minnesota for Game 3 on Thursday.

Murray had it rolling early in Game 2, capping a 23-point first half with a half-court shot as time expired to end the second quarter. However, the Timberwolves buckled down defensively, limiting the Nuggets’ guard to seven second-half points. Murray’s miss of a challenged mid-range jumper led to a Donte DiVincenzo dunk that extended Minnesota’s lead to five with just under four seconds remaining, ending the game. Murray scored 30 points in both games in Denver, but Game 2 felt far different because of the subpar second half.